Overview
Heavy Rotation is the fourth studio album from Anastacia. It's her first studio album in over four years, since her critically acclaimed self-titled 3rd studio album 'Anastacia' released in 2004. According to Anastacia, the album is inspired by how happy her life is at the moment, with the title 'Heavy Rotation' having a deeper meaning to it, referring to how life rotates and that it gets "heavy".





Heavy Rotation will be Anastacia's first studio album on her new record deal with Universal Music Group/Mercury since her departure from Epic/Daylight. She said the album would of came out earlier but was pushed back because of the negotiations with the record labels.

Anastacia has stated in an interview with her Austrian Fan Club that her favourite song on the album is "Heavy Rotation", which has received positive feedback from fans and critics alike.


Critical Reception
So far, the album has received extremely good critical reactions! CapitalFM described it as "one of her strongest and most varied albums to date." FemaleFirst rated 'Heavy Rotation' giving it 5 out of 5 Stars, claiming on some tracks that have been compared to Amy Winehouse, Duffy & Adele as "this is a track that blows all the competition out of the water" and other tracks as "think of Madonna and Britney Spears’ attempts at their reinvention and multiply it by 1,000 and this song is what you’d end up with;". Lastly, MSN mentioned that Heavy Rotation is "well worth a listen."


Producers Involved
Anastacia: Executive Producer
Ne-Yo: I Can Feel You & Absolutely Positively
Guy Chambers: In Summer, All Fall Down
Darkchild: Heavy Rotation
Lester Mendez, JR Rotem, Sam Watters + Louis Biancaniello, The Heavyweights, Rico Love & Kara Dioguardi

i am getting my dad to preorder this tomorrow can't wait for it afetr hearing the previews ICFY must be the red herring of the album, i really want this to do well

'Heavy Rotation' Scans; http://anastaciafanclub.cz/English.htm

Nice I like the style!

Fierce!

I like the LP theme.

Now I wanna hear a preview of BMUW

Yeah! And the other bonus track she talked about!

It's quite stupid to try and compare this album to the third album, they're so different...

I know...there are SO MANY different styles...which is one of the reasons why I love it so much

I think she can gain a lot of new fans with this album

OK Joshie...seein as u didn't answer my question in the other topic i'll ask it here aswell

What are u favs on this album then

i have preordered it off Amazon, it should arrive the day its released, that happened with kylie X

Album Reactions so far [Non-Anastacia fans];

the album sounds REALLY good imo, very varied indeed. Can't wait to hear the songs in full and HQ.

Previews are really good! Leak! Leak! Leak!!

Wow! I'm absolutely positively surprised! Such a great album! Can't wait to hold it in my hands.

I want this to leak NOOOOOOOW!

The songs sound GORGEOUS!!! Can NOT wait to have this in my hands!!

this is SO gonna be my favourite album of this year.

im impressed

Anastacia never fails IMO

Love it. Great album. I Can Feel You is the wrong first single.

The songs I have listened for the moment are really great.

These samples really surprised me, I'm glad I found them.

The clips sound Fantastic! Very very impressed

I think this is going to be one of my favourite albums of the year! Anastacia never dissapoints!

these are from not-fans?
wow, i'm impressed too

I know it's great!!

cool

Anyone who hasn't heard the previews; http://www.anastacia.de/vs.php?campaignID=C1337

and if u haven't heard the previews...WHERE HAVE U BEEN!! lol

true true
been under a rock or sumthin ?

She's gonna crack the US for sure this time! I'm not sure how experienced they are with promoting a new artist in the states, but I bet they're pretty good!

I know...disgraceful

dunno if i have to wish you're right or not...

we'll just have to see next year!

yeah...also depends on the promo too

canot wait for the new album <3

i think that you speak for all of us there

http://www.buzzjack.com/artists/Anastacia/news/284013.html
New XCLUSIVE mini-Review.

bump! Discusssss.

what's wrong with these topics going around.....

Woops, I tried merging all Heavy Rotation topics together and I accidentally merged it with the Inc.

Okay, listened to the album.

It's okay, lyrics are a bit pish, filler-sounding. When listening you have to try and not to compare it to the 'Anastacia' album. But there are some good songs, (tbh the best ones are the American-pushed ones). Still needs a few more listens though. It's nicely varied though!

grr i will have to wait till my copy arives because it wont download or open on my computer

Sounds better after a few listens!

I love the album but i'm not loving a few songs like i can feel you, never gona love again.. the lyrics in some songs are quite c**p but as long as the songs are good then it's fine.

finally i have it

but i need to go to bed now

ANASTACIA…. And Heavy Rotation! Waited four years for this, was it REALLY worth the wait?....
[Reviewed after a few listens, cause trust me- it needed a few!]


I Can Feel You;
Opens in a Rick Wake funky piano intro to introduce the album, until bursting into the song. Well, it doesn’t really burst- it just sorts of gradually (VERY gradually) goes in, slugging through the verses but never really picking off at the chorus. For a song with a strong beat and passable production, produced & written by man of the moment Ne-Yo, this SHOULD be the perfect album opener track, yet this type of song in a strippers club would send even the most active strippers to sleep. Easy on the airplay for the charts, but nothing more than filler for an album.
4/10

The Way I See It;
The second track of the album opens in rich coloured Winehouse-esque horns as Anastacia brings home that ‘attitude’ shown throughout previous albums, “pardon me for livin’, expressin’ my opinion”, belting out against strong drum beats you might of heard Duffy swinging along to, but twisted with her home country US of A style. It’s 60’s sounding, yet still contemporary sounding (something that could be BIG in the charts maybe?).
8/10

Absolutely Positively;
Anastacia soothingly brings and slows down the pace for this Stevie Wonder-influenced number, as the crackling bassline blends gloriously with more mid-tempo piano lines and clicking drum beats. You can hear how the texture of her voice welds around the toned production of the song. If you’re a sucker for the type of slowed-motown type of music, you’ll fall for this in a second.
9/10

Defeated;
The first ballad of the album. ‘Defeated’. It’s very American. It’s very Rihanna-like (think ‘Rehab’. And it’s very Urban. It may have trashy beats and glittering piano solo’s, yet it’s strong lyrics and her dynamic voice makes up for this. This isn’t the usual Anastacia ballad, but the effecting electro-pop/urban/-clash and catchy chorus could place it in the charts.
8/10

In Summer;
Pass it off as filler if you wish! It happens. This blatant Guy Chambers production (big drum beat, piano), this is quite a sweet love song with pish lyrics. It’s mellow, soft sounding, ‘Welcome To My Truth/Overdue Goodbye/In Your Eyes’-like, something you’d play during a sunset. Although she kind of ruins it with the gospel “Now take it to the end of me, yeah e yeah yeah oh yeah etc.”, it’s pretty unneeded.
7/10

Heavy Rotation;
The first blatant departure of her ‘sprock’-sound is displayed here. The rhythm could leave a lasting impression on the clubs and dancefloors for months on end, the thumping Darkchild track is definitely a highlight from the album. It’s electric which mixes well with Anastacia’s wild vocals, and is something that Madonna is certainly missing from her latest ‘Hard Candy’ comeback. Definitely something to check out, yet do not imagine the album as this- it’s just a one off.
10/10

Same Song;
And again (again again), the 60’s American drum beats and chimes return in an even more obvious American-Winehouse style song. Yet just better. It’s relaxed and almost darkish-late nightish. And again, compliments alongside Anastacia’s voice.
10/10 (only because it’s a personal favourite)

I Call It Love;
The song opens up in synthesizers, OH NO, Defeated again. Wrong! Quite possibly the best example of ‘progressed-sprock’ which is shown on the album. Remember ‘Rearview’? This is Rearview p2, yet more up-tempo and refreshing (+ less heavy). It’s a safe track, still displaying strong vocal power.
9/10

All Fall Down;
“No ones born in this world without a soul, some will follow every single round trying to find a home”. Sickly lyrics. Yuk, but don’t judge just yet. For the second time it’s really picking up where the ‘Anastacia’ left off, just not as dark (until about halfway through the song)- where it starts to get all operatic. Effective. Another ‘Rearview’ inspired track. Less of the RnB sound, more of the old-Ana! A nice one for the fans.
9/10

Never Going To Love Again;
Anastacia’s first proper ballad in the album (it’s came so late). The lyrics are much better than the rest of the album. Now, it’s production. Dramatic-Andrew Lloyd Webber like-epic-Evanescence-haunting-strong-over the top-dynamic-climatic-theatric. So yeah, pretty big. Anastacia sluggishly parades through the song in excellent vocal control on this Christina Aguilera-‘The Right Man’ sounding track. With such a big production, Anastacia misses the opportunity to really explore her voice and it’s range, yet she keeps it safe by just nudging up the power a bit on the last chorus.
9/10

You’ll Be Fine;
Closing the album in warm Autumn guitar strings playing alongside continuous clapping beats mellowing with Anastacia’s nice songwriting skills, even though it IS a BIT limited throughout this (Fairytales & Pieces Of A Dream are mentioned throughout). Oh dear. It’s kept relaxing and comforting, a nice way to close such a varied album.
8/10

Beautiful Messed Up World;
I LIED. Okay, UK Bonus Track. This is the last song. It’s a strong filler, okay beat and okay melody. Brilliant lyrics perfect for a ballad, yet we get a kind of 2001-ish Disco Stomper. The big notes are pretty annoying, she’s belting out on all different ranges. Impressive? No.
6/10

OVEALL AVERAGE SCORE (by track);
Something like 8.03

All in all;
It’s definitely a strong varied album that has something for everyone. There’s a divide between tracks the old Anastacia fans will love and what’s been forced to be contemporary & US sounding, yet those tracks aren’t so bad. It won’t hurt to try something new. Heavy Rotation firm vibe, it’s either stuck in the 60’s brought bang to modern times, to club-anthem stompers that are sure to make an impression on the chart. If you’re thinking this is ‘Anastacia’p.2 then you are definitely wrong, it’s impossible to compare the to together, but It’s definitely worth a listen!

Nice review thanks, seems like the reception of the album is mostly positive

I'm loving this record She sounds amazing...

Tbh, this is a pretty naff album now. :/

why have u just suddenly changed ur mind

agreed.

i think it is a great album

It's not very good. I want 'Anastacia'p.2- just a bit different. Not any of this contemporary Amy-Rihanna crap.

We'll never get an Anastacia part 2...that album was a one-off masterpiece...and because it was cause she was going through cancer n that i don't think she could write and create another album like that even if she tried

"I Want doesn't get" so says my mother
be happy with what you got

right...no one's sayin that everyone has to like it...

Yeah, but I just don't 'get' this album. It makes no sense. :/

I think the fact that it's got so many different styles is why I like it so much

The Anastacia album was about being angry and this one is happy...whats not to get

I thought the Amy c**p was on of ur fav songs

The Amy crap is a brilliant singer/songwriter.

I meant 'same song'...didn't u say it was one of ur fav songs on the album...so why is it c**p?? or am I just being retarded....don't answer that one joshie